"Come to me, all of you who are frustrated and have had a bellyful, and I will give you zest." (Matthew 28:11, The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John by Clarence Jordan)

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Lewis Calls for March on the Ballot Box

Today, on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and on the day Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech, embracing the nomination for President, civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis addressed the Georgia and Alabama delegations in Denver.

Of those who spoke to the crowd on mall in Washington forty-five years ago, John Lewis is the only one still living.

With a rousing, passionate speech, Lewis pointed to the historic nature of this moment and called on Democrats, black and white to march once again, this time, on the ballot box. "If someone had told me that I would live to see what we saw last night, I would've said you were crazy." " To those who believe that change cannot happen, I invite them to walk in my shoes."

The nomination of Barack Obama, Lewis said, is "a down payment on the dream" King helped birth forty-five years ago. And, "history," Lewis said, "would not be kind to us if we fail to elect him."

Lewis will speak tonight at Invesco Field, and I have a feeling that forty-five years from now, school children will be reading about what happens tonight in Denver.